British Championship Final

This game was the deciding match for both the British National and
Open Championships. It was played on April
17th, a week after the Leeds Congress, at
Geoffrey Gray's house in Chelsea. The game itself was played in an
upstairs room, and the moves relayed downstairs and reproduced on a
large board for the benefit of spectators.

Comment is chiefly by Jon Diamond, but some are by Haruyama, 6p, and
these are marked . The BGJ article was presented in algebraic notation, with an
apology for doing so.

White 8 leaves the choice of joseki in the bottom corner until he
sees what black is going to do in the top corner.

Black 13: Hane at A is possible. This depends on a ladder, which in
this case is favourable to black.

White 14 again leaves a joseki undecided to see the results of
developments elsewhere.

Black 15, White 18: [ Good.] White 18' is normally at B, but this would allow black
to play first on the left side.

Black 23 should be at C.

Black 27: It is debatable whether he should play in this area at
all, but if so D is the point to play.

White 28, Black 29: Even after the game, Diamond thought his move
28 was good and black 29 too heavy, but Haruyama said no, 29 is the key
point and white should have played there with 28', or possibly at 34.

Black 39: The sequence from 30 to 39 is forced. Although white
would like to play at 39 with 38', this is not possible.

Black 41: Bad. Attacks white from the wrong direction, forcing him
to attack black's still unsettled group. He should play at 46.

Black 63: If at 64 then White would play at 63 and still get two
eyes.

White 74: White might have attacked black's large group any time
from now to move 82, starting at G. A black play at H does not make two
eyes (please work out why not), a fact which White overlooked. But black
can play at J, a threat to make eyes, and continue with the cut at K to
fight the semeai.

White 80: After this move (which prevents black's play L), white's
central influence more than compensates for his loss of territory on the
right.

White 82: This move was greeted with a chorus of disbelief in the
downstairs room. It is a simple mistake as black shows with move 89.

Black 85 threatens to fight a ko for the white stones on the right
side. White 86 is therefore forced.

Black 87:
Unnecessary, because of the cut at K - see the comment on move 74.

White 88: Severe, but even so could play at 90 immediately.

Black 93, White 94: Either should have been at 95, the vital point.

Black 97 looks small, but it is necessary to capture white's 5
stones.

White 114: Joseki is at 117, giving black a small life in the
corner. White wants to pursue the black group - it is the success of
this plan that wins the game.

Black 115, 117:
Good combination, but 119, 121 should be left for later.

Black 125: This move caused more discussion than any other.
Downstairs it was felt that 125' should be at 126, white M and black 125
to capture the corner. Haruyama 6p agreed with this view, but Diamond
maintains that he could have answered black 125' (at 126), not at M, but
at 125, black N, and then M is safe. If black does not play at N, then
white connects to the outside or kills the outer black group. What do
you think?

Black 139: he must make eyes in the centre.

White 140: A quick count at this stage shows White about 10 ahead,
still attacking the black group, and with sente.

Black 173: A final attempt to introduce complications on the lower
side.

White 176: A common sacrifice tesuji.

White 192: Black now has no chance.

White

Black

Top left
Right side
Left side
Lower side
Captures, komi

22
2
37
3
9

Top right
Centre right
Lower right
Left side
Captures

13
17
18
7
3

73

58

Comment and recording end at 194. White won by the enormous margin
of 28, as he managed to get the first move on the bottom side.

Haruyama's general comments were that this was a good game, and in
spite of the large margin both players showed 4-dan strength. His full
comments on the game, which differ on several points from Jon Diamond's,
will be published soon in Go Review. [Go Review July 1971, Vol 11 No 7 page 16.]

This article is from the
British Go Journal
Issue 14
which is one of a series of back issues now available on the web.